ASU LEARNING COLUMN: School's recognition beginning to grow

San Angelo school makes top 100 list

SAN ANGELO, Texas - For Angelo State University, 2013 was marked by several new national rankings for both the university and various individual programs, as well as continued record growth in graduate student enrollment.

The nursing program brought home ASU’s first national recognition of the year as it was ranked in the top 100 for its online graduate degree offerings by U.S. News and World Report for its 2013 edition of Best Online Programs.

Ranked No. 64 overall, ASU was one of eight Texas institutions to make the top 100 list. The rankings were compiled from the 471 colleges and universities that U.S. News and World Report identified as offering master’s degree nursing programs.

February saw ASU set a new graduate student enrollment record for the seventh consecutive long semester as the College of Graduate Studies enrolled 898 students, up from 880 in the fall of 2012 and 841 in spring of 2012.

April was highlighted by another top ranking for the university, this one on the state level, as ASU was named one of the “Top 25 Affordable Online Colleges in Texas” by StateStats.org and its partner website OnlineSchoolsTexas.com.

Criteria for making the list included in-state and out-of-state tuition rates, student-to-teacher ratio, campus setting and breadth of online programs.

In May, ASU earned an A-plus for its initial and advanced teacher preparation programs from the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education.

ASU is one of just 14 Texas universities accredited by NCATE for meeting rigorous national standards established by the professional education community.

ASU’s master’s degree in criminal justice program took center stage in June as it was ranked one of the top programs in the U.S. by MastersDegreeOn line.org for the 2013-14 academic year. Only 38 U.S. colleges and universities were featured on the website for having outstanding graduate criminal justice programs, and Angelo State was one of only five Texas institutions on the list.

July was highlighted by the successful completion of ASU’s first capital campaign, which raised more than $35 million two months before schedule. Also in July, ASU was named one of the “Great Colleges to Work For” for 2013 by the Chronicle of Higher Education, the major national news source for college and university faculty and administrators. ASU also was named one of the 50 “Best Colleges for Intramural Sports” in the U.S. by BestColleges.com.

Perhaps the most important honor of the year for ASU came in August as, for the fifth straight year, ASU was listed by The Princeton Review as one of the country’s best institutions for undergraduate education. ASU was featured in The Princeton Review’s annual college guide, “The Best 378 Colleges,” an honor that goes to only about 15 percent of the nation’s more than 2,500 four-year colleges.

More honors came in September as ASU was named a “Military Friendly School” by G.I. Jobs magazine for the fifth consecutive year, and for the fourth straight year was named one of the top colleges nationally by CollegesofDistinction.com, an online guide that recognizes colleges and universities that appeal to students’ varied interests. ASU also set another record for graduate enrollment with 990 graduate students taking fall classes.

One of the main areas of growth in ASU’s graduate enrollment is in online programs. So it was fitting that in October, the ASU College of Graduate Studies was named one of the Top 50 Online Graduate Programs in the U.S. by GraduatePrograms.com.

Overall, ASU’s graduate program ranked No. 18 in ratings and reviews posted on GraduatePrograms.com by more than 15,000 students enrolled in more than 500 online graduate programs.

Also in October, ASU’s Houston Harte University Center was named one of the “25 Most Amazing Student Union Buildings in the U.S.” by BestCollegeReviews.org. Overall, ASU’s University Center was ranked No. 22 in the U.S. and represents the only Texas institution in the top 25.

One final national ranking rounded out the year in November as ASU was named one of the nation’s “120 Best Colleges for Veterans” by the Military Times organization in its Best for Vets: Colleges 2014 rankings. It was ASU’s first-ever “Best for Vets” designation.

These are just the highlights. Not listed are the numerous individual honors, awards, grants and distinctions earned by ASU faculty, staff and students that helped make 2013 a banner year for the university. With the spring semester coming up, the ASU community is looking for better outcomes in 2014.

Tom Nurre Jr. is a news and information specialist in the ASU Office of Communications and Marketing.